


Broken plates

by Windfighter



Category: Digimon Adventure
Genre: Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Whumptober 2018
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-02
Updated: 2018-11-02
Packaged: 2019-08-14 16:36:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16496255
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Windfighter/pseuds/Windfighter
Summary: Tai arrives at Matt's apartment and finds broken dishes in the kitchen and a crying Matt hiding under his bed. School starts in one hour so he don't have much time to get the situation under controll.





	Broken plates

**Author's Note:**

> aaaa I've kind of missed torturing Matt a little. This was just written as a short warm-up for the second NaNoWriMo-day but it was still nice to write it. I say short warm-up but it took me one hour! Anyway enjoy!
> 
> Prompt: Bloody hands

”Matt?”

The door was open, so Tai let himself in. The apartment was quiet and dark and he turned on the lights before pulling off his shoes.

”Matt!” he called.

No answer, but he thought he could hear something from Matt's bedroom. He noticed broken dishes as he walked past the kitchen and the livingroom. Matt usually kept the place somewhat tidy and Tai raised an eyebrow, scratched his head. It was unusual seeing the place like this. New sounds from the bedroom made him move again. It sounded like sobs. Matt didn't cry often and when he did stuff was _bad._ Tai hurried his steps, tore the bedroom door open. It hit the wall and he saw Matt slip down from the bed and slide in under it.

”Are you okay?”

Tai stood in the door, shifted his weight from his heels to his toes and then back again. He wanted to enter, but at the same time he knew how much Matt hated letting anyone see him in distress. So he waited a little, wanted to give his friend a chance to gather himself.

”The door was open”, he explained.

No answer. Tai bit his lip.

”Did something happen?”

”I...”

Matt's voice died out as quickly as it came alive. Tai waited another few seconds before taking a step into the room.

”Can I turn on the lights? Or would you prefer opening the blinds?”

Ten seconds passed without an answer and Tai turned on the lights. He sat down on the bed. Matt held his breath.

”Breathing is important you know.”

Matt took a careful breath. Tai listened closely to it.

”You should probably breathe deeper than that. Shallow breaths can make your anxiety worse.”

”I'm...”

”You can protest but the signs point in a different direction.”

Tai wasn't stupid. Sometimes people thought he was, but he had a knack for reading people. Matt might have been a mystery for him a few years earlier, but now he could read him pretty well. Not perfect, but well enough.

”Do you want to come out from there? I know you're not _that_ fond of tight spaces. Or did you get stuck?”

Matt laughed, then sobbed again. Tai moved to the floor, laid down on it and looked under the bed. Matt was pressed against the wall, large dust bunnies had gotten stuck on his clothes. His face was hidden behind his hands and his hands... Tai stared at them. They were red.

”Is that blood?”

Matt's sholders got tenser, then he gave a slight nod. Tai saw his hands move along with his head.

”Are you hurt?”

”I...”, Matt sniffled, ”I dropped the plates.”

”It's just plates.”

”It's... it's more than that.”

”Did you kill your cat?”

Matt moved his fingers so he could stare at Tai through them. Tai grinned, tried to not react to the blood on Matt's face. It was probably from his hands anyway.

”...We don't have a cat”, Matt said.

”Alright”, Tai offered Matt a hand in order to help him out. ”So let's try this again: Are you hurt?”

”Nnnn... Y... It... It depends?”

Tai's eyes fell on the knife that was sticking out under Matt's side. He shook his head.

”If it depends that's a yes, we've talked about that last time.”

The last time had been two months ago, and it was the first time Tai had seen this part of Matt. It had terrified him and he knew that hadn't inspired confidence in his friend. He had vowed to do better in the future. At least Matt hadn't charged at him and ran away yet. He took that as a sign of trust. He'd take it as a bigger sign of trust if Matt would just come out of hiding.

”You dropped the plates?”

”Dad got them from his grandmother...”

”Oh.”

Yeah, that was... Tai tried not to flinch. His mother would get furious if he destroyed something that was important to her and while Matt's father was pretty chill most of the time he  _had_ seen an angrier side of him once. Matt had probably witnessed it a lot more.

”Will hiding in there fix it?”

”He can't reach me in here.”

”He won't be home until tonight and we do have school in one hour.”

Matt closed his fingers again. Others would have seen that as a loss, would have believed Matt had retreated and they had failed in reaching him. Tai knew better. He waited, gave Matt time to think his options through. Tai's hand was still waiting for Matt to grab it. After a minute he did and Tai pulled him out. He could hear Matt take a sharp breath.

”Did I hurt you?”

”...nothing I can't handle.”

Matt sat up, leaned against the bed. His arms were lying on his legs, bleeding. Tai had probably pulled the wounds open.

”First-aid kit?”

”Bathroom”, Matt answered and closed his eyes. ”But don't bother, I have to shower anyway.”

Tai was already half-way to the bedroom. He looked at the broken plates when he passed he kitchen.

”Go shower already then. I'll clean up the mess while you get done.”

Matt started moving in the bedroom and Tai went into the kitchen instead. He picked up the broken pieces and put them on the sink.

”Don't throw them out”, Matt said as he passed on his way to the bathroom.

”Why not?”

”Just don't.”

Matt closed the door and started the water. Tai moved the pieces closer to the wall so they wouldn't accidentally fall down. He found some eggs and cheese in the fridge and started making an omelette. The water stopped again and a few minutes later Matt came back out.

”Don't put your shirt on yet!” Tai called and fetched the first-aid kit. ”We still need to dress your wounds.”

”How do you know I haven't already?”

”Because I know you”, Tai laughed.

Matt returned to the combined living/dinning room, shirt in his hand, and sank down on one of the chairs. Tai put the omelette and the first aid-kit on the table and looked at Matt. There was a wound at the side of his chest and it was bleeding quite well.

”That one was you”, Matt laughed when he noticed Tai staring at it, ”but it was my fault so don't beat yourself up over it.”

”Sorry.”

”Eh, I was the one lying on top of a knife”, Matt raised his arm so Tai could get to it. ”Should have moved it before I let you pull me out.”

”Doesn't look like it'll need stitches at least.”

”It won't.”

Tai put a bandaid over it and Matt lowered his arm again, allowing Tai to look at his arms instead. The wounds closest to his wrist was bleeding as well.

”I keep pulling them open”, Matt said and looked away.

”You need to not move your hands so much.”

”Good luck with that, we have gym today.”

Tai wrapped Matts arms in bandages and forced a smile.

”We'll just tell the teacher you sprained your wrists and have to take it easy. That way he won't put you as goalie if we play football.”

”I'd need a note from dad for that though.”

”You just let me do the talking, it'll be fine. You feel any calmer now?”

Matt nodded and put the shirt on. Tai got up from the chair and put the first aid-kit back in the bathroom.

”The omelette's for you by the way, you have to eat something!” he called.

”You didn't have to!”

”Otherwise you wouldn't eat!”

He returned. Matt was struggling a bit with the cutlery, but managed the whole thing after just ten minutes. They gathered Matt's books and left the apartment together.

”Sorry about the plates though”, Tai said as they walked.

”Yeah, I'll have to figure out what to do about that later... And Tai...”

Matt hesitated. Tai waited. He didn't have to wait for long.

”Thank you. For helping me.”

”What are friends for?” Tai slapped Matt's shoulder. ”This way at least you're still alive!”

”Yeah”, Matt's voice grew sadder. ”At least I'm still alive.”

 


End file.
